Watford took lead in the £25 million contest as Leeds' defense pursues the Gus Hamer fee.

Recently promoted Plymouth Argyle secured an impressive 3-1 win over a Huddersfield Town side that would have been hoping to build on their previous good work under Neil Warnock, Stoke City secured a 4-1 victory over Rotherham United and Ipswich Town started their campaign with a brilliant away win at Sunderland.

But the most eye-catching result of the weekend came at Vicarage Road, with Watford claiming an emphatic 4-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers, scoring all four goals in the first half.

Thankfully for Gareth Ainsworth, he still has time to make further additions if he needs to, but the remainder of the window may be less fun for a side like Southampton who are seeing quite a few of their players attract interest from elsewhere.

We take a look at two of their players and others in this Championship transfer news round-up.

Leeds are now in talks to recruit Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips, according to Rudy Galetti.

With Max Wober going out on loan and Liam Cooper being taken off yesterday, a new central defender could be extremely useful for the Whites who could have a decent amount to spend after offloading some of their players, some of whom have gone out on loan.

Galetti believes the two clubs are currently discussing a deal in the region of £10m with add-ons, although it remains to be seen whether they can come to an agreement.

Phillips’ game time at Anfield looks set to be limited once again this term and with this in mind, it could benefit the 26-year-old if he made the switch to Elland Road.

Daniel Farke’s side will need to fork out £12m if they want to get an agreement for Coventry City midfielder Gustavo Hamer over the line.

That’s according to Football Insider, who believe the Whites are currently monitoring his situation at the Coventry Building Society Arena ahead of a potential approach.

The same outlet has reported that the Sky Blues are keen to keep hold of him despite the fact his contract runs out next summer, with the club potentially at risk of losing him for nothing.

But you can see why they would want to retain him, with his withdrawal from yesterday’s game against Leicester City proving to be a turning point at the King Power Stadium.

The Hornets are currently leading the race for Midtjylland striker Sory Kaba, according to Mike McGrath.

Spending the second half of last season on loan at Cardiff City, the £2m-rated player has already had time to become accustomed to the English second tier and could potentially seal a move back to this division before the window closes.

Even if the Hornets don’t manage to get a deal over the line, five other clubs are reportedly keen on the 28-year-old who played a big part in keeping the Bluebirds afloat last term.

Ipswich Town are keen on Adam Armstrong and are willing to pay up to £8m on the striker according to Alan Nixon, but the Saints want to keep hold of him for the 2023/24 campaign.

Burnley, meanwhile, are interested in taking Nathan Tella away from St Mary’s after seeing him impress on loan at Turf Moor last season.

However, Russell Martin’s side are reportedly keen to both retain him and hand him a new contract, with the club potentially able to offer him a big wage if they cash in on some key players before the window closes.